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"There was a nice variety, a mix of all types of movies -- documentaries. Very informative," said the Sudbury resident.

Rose was standing in line with hundreds of others Sunday evening as he waited to get into movie No. 32 -- Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz.

Of the movies he saw, The Guard, Cloudburst, Whistle-blower, Phase One and Afghan Luke, in particular, stood out.

Rose, who has been going to Cinefest for the past six years, had great things to say about the festival.

"I like the organization, how well they serve people. It's very organized, the volunteers do a really good job."

Cinefest Director Tammy Frick said there was a huge jump in ticket sales this year.

"It was a phenomenal year," she said. "We've been increasing typically 4 to 5% every year. We definitely had a significant jump this year. We're up between 15 and 20%."

They came into the festival about 11% up in box office sales, she added.

The reason for the larger-than- usual jump, said Frick, was largely thanks to the marketing campaign.

"We had an extended campaign that reached out into cinemas. There was a lot more attendance again from out of town this year.

"People here have so embraced this event. They're coming out in droves and it's just wonderful."

Highlights for her include the gala lineup, as well as films that had a northern connection.

"I was extremely pleased with our gala lineup this year, because the majority of those films you won't see coming through commercial theatres.

"I was extremely pleased to have The Guard, Albert Nobbs and some wonderful films that had a connection to the North. La Sacree -- the franc ophone comedy-- went over extremely well."

The distinguishing factor of Cinefest, she said, is its accessibility.

"Cinefest is a regional-style festival that has a big heart. We're extremely hospitable, and . . . we had so many (industry) guests this year, they don't come just for the sake of coming ... they come because they've heard about our audiences, how film savvy they are.

"Our audiences are so well-educated and ask amazing questions, so we do more Q & A's than ever before. I think we're that festival, people come, connect and get a true sense from a true audience how their film will play to a typical audience, and that's our forte.